Building block construction



I Sept. 23, 1952 E, P RESTON 2,611,261

BUILDING BLOCK CONSTRUCTION Filed March 16, 1948 I v I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Sept. 23, 1952 E. L. PRESTON BUILDING BLOCK CONSTRUCTION 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed March 16, 1948 INVENTOR. Z. "2 761516 912 Patented Sept. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 7 2,611,261 a i BUILDING BLOCK CONSTRUCTION Edwin Brestom ltiver Forest, 111. Application March 16, 1948, Serial No. 15,161

This invention relates to a new and improved.

building block construction.

' One of the principal-objects of this invention is the provision of a building block which in itself possesses all the characteristics of a, recognized standard building wall. 1 7

An important object of this invention is to provide ,a building block which simulates a brick building wall; v

Another, object of'this invention is to provide a'con'crete building block with a brick veneer.

Another'object of this invention .is theprovision'of a building block having'an inner wall forced concrete-buildingblock with the expanded metal arranged and constructed'to'receivevand grip innerwall plaster; 1

' Still another'object is to provide at building block withmeans to uniformly'space adjacent blocks toi'nsure'an 'evenmortaring' between all the blocks in a building wall."

Another object is to provide a building block capable of use as a conduit for heating or cooling systems.' 1 m '.Another and further object is the provision of means in'abuilding block to're'ceive electrical, water; 'or gas conduits flush-with theinnersur face of:the block to provide a smoothsurface for plasterxo'r other inner wallcoverings to be applied directly thereover.

Other and further important-objects will become apparentfrom the disclosures in the follow' ing specification and accompanying drawings. ;In the drawings: 1 l Fig. 1 is'a'perspective. view of a partial building wall incorporating the building blocks of this invention. I A 3 Fig. 2 is; a perspective view of the outside corner block employed in the wall in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a half' block'used inthis construction. I

I. 'Fig." 4 is: a perspectivefiview "of I a-"igular block 4 Claims. (Cl. 72-42) Another andstill further'object ofthezinven-f I tion is the provision of anexpandedmetal-reins V as employed in the wall ofFig. 1 without metal back plates. Fig. 51s a rear elevational view of a portion of; the wall of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of an inside a modified form of block. I Fig. 8 is a. top plan view of another modified form of building block. r y

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on'the line 9 9- of Fig. 8. v

Fig. 10' is an enlarged sectional detail ofy-the rear of ametal backed block showing the interv locking after applying inner wall plaster.

As shown in the drawings: 1

r The reference numeral 10 indicates a generally rectangular building-block as shown in Fig; 4. The block In consists of a cementitious-front:ii v with rearwardly extending integral sides or ends 12 and I3. Theword cementitious shall be con-, strued to mean any material suitable for build r ingblocks such as ordinary limestone cement plastics, or any material in the form of armortar which when set produces a hard stony surface- A. partition [4 is integral with the front l-I and;is positioned parallel to and intermediatethe, ends l2-and l3. V 7 A brick slab |5 -is molded integrally to the front of the block ID as a veneer at-a time when-the block is -f'ormed 'lfhebrick slab piecesareoffset in amanner corresponding to regularly laid brick. Thewall as shown in Fig, 1 does'notappear to be made'of large bloc ks because of the offsetting of the.b1'i'Ck" S1abS;l 5.' Theslabs do not cover the entireiront of .each block as shown by the blank spaces l5 and IT. After a wall is completed with blocks of this type, additional brick slabpieces- 18 are laid'withmortar in adjacent aligned spaces'to conceal the'joints of-the large blocks. It will be noted that the blankspaces are recessedin the concrete so that sufiicient mortar may be applied to attach a brick slab of an adjoining block. Asshown in Fig. 4, the brick slabs l8 e'X- tend fully across the top and bottom. lnorder to meet all conditions and mate with all. adjoin ing blocks the veneered brick may be applied to the'regular -block as shown 'in Figfil at 19. 'Simi'- lar blank-recessed spaces are provided in thercor ner andfihalf blocks to be described; The block 20 isdesignated an outside corner as'it'is adapt-=v able for use on an outside corner of a building in deference to an inside corner block 21 asshow'n in Fig. 6 which is used as an insidecor'ner. An outsideicorner 'isdesignatedjomthe wall of Fi'gxr cornerof by the letter A and an inside corner is designated by the letter B. The block 29 is a full length block and diners from block I!) only by its end 22 which is finished with a brick veneer. As shown in Fig. 1 the corner blocks are all full length 5 blocks which interlock. The first tier of wall blocks has the corner end 22 facing one of the adjoining walls. Similarly every other tier of blocks has the end 22 facingthe samewalh In.the sec.- ond tier.the corner block 20 is turned over'and reversed so that the veneered end 22 is facing the other of the adjoinin walls and the veneeredfront 23 of the block also faces outwardly.

As shown in Fig. 3, a half block .Zliiiprovi'd'ed with two adjacent brick veneered surfaces 25..and.. 26. The use of a half block i depicted in Fig: 1'. The half block is positioned adjacent door"? or: window frames to compensate for the oflsetting of blocks in the vertical tiers. A half block is shown abutting a door frame 21 which is set slightly-back from the front surface of the build ing wall. Thus the brick slab coverediendizt is necessary to complete the finished bri'cli appearance. The outside corner blocks'20 having: the brick veneered end'join with the half blocks to 25 complete finished openings for doors or windows. The corner block alternates with the half blocks so the vertical walled opening is lined witha fiilly' veneered surface.

The blocks are all provided w-ith: spacing strips orprojections such as those shown at I2a andl l 3a on the block 10 in Fig. 4. The end 28 without a brick covering of the outside corner block 20lhas a" similar spacing strip 2821. The half block 24 has one of its=non-brick-' veneered-' ends 28 equi'pped' with a strip 29a corresponding to the strips [2a, Ila; and 2821.- As shown in Fig. l the'several str-ip projections abut each other and maintain correct and uniform spacing of the blocksin building a; walli' portant= and very" difli'cult to properly space the block's; With the projection strips l2'a-, 13a,- 28a, and"2 9'a=in use'as'spaceguides the buildingblocks are easily maintained in uniform spacing and as;

a consequence the mortar is also of? uniform 45' thickness. I

The building blocks are equipped with" insula'-- tion pads directly in back of the front or outside walls=ofthe block. In Fig. ithe-insulation pads are shown at 30'and' 3 l arerelativelystiff" packs' and are slidable into position'within opposed grooves30aand 30b and Ila-and"?! b in the endsandpartitionsli' l3; and' I45 In the-corner block 20 of Fig. 2 insulation packs 32' and 33 are positionedbehind both the 55;

outer walls. The insulation package 32 is l. shaped-and has one portion 32a backof'the ve n'eered end 22 and the other portion 32b back of theveneeredfront 23. Here also the stiiT packs areheldin grooves 32c, 32d, 33a, and 33b formed 60 in'tli'e concrete walls oftheblock. Similarlyin' the half 'blbck' of Fig. 3 a single insulation pack-- age34 ii L-shaped' having leg portions 34'a-and 34b behind the brick-veneered faces 25 and 26'.

The; outer ends ofthe' insulation packagelare held 65 Fig.4 the backs have: beenremoved tashow' the: 7.0.

recessed construction of the; rearwardly extend, ing ends of thesidesiandfpartiti'ons, l2; l3, and. I4. Therecessed or cut-out portions, as shown at 36." and 31 in: the endstl2 and I3: respectively, are

equipped with an inclined undercut'asbest shown 7 In building with largeblocks it isim-- 40L These insulation pads 50.

at 38 in Fig. 9. A similar undercut is shown at 39 in the recess 31. The block partition. I4 is equipped with a double recess 43 which as shown in Fig. 3 includes opposed recesses 4| and 42, each havin an inclined undercut 43 and 44. The recesses 36 and 4| and their respective undercuts 38 and 43 combine to receive the side edges 45 of a perforated metal back plate 46. The edges 45 form a. right anglewith .themain back portion of the. plate 46-. When the blockszin a wallare all laid the removable back plates areapplied and press fitted on the backs of the blocks as shown in Fig. 1. As best shown in Fig. 10 the plaster 41 fiowsithrough...the plate perforations 48 and fills thev space 49 between the plate side 45 and the inclinedundercut38. Upon setting and hardening of;the p1aster;the;back plate is thoroughly locked and anchored to the building block l0 and thus the-entire plaster wall is securely held in position. Another advantage in the backs 46 being removable isthe'possibility of providingcertain of the backs with electrical outlet boxes; SWit0hBS,TtC.. which" maybe moved to any desired space-onthe walli The recess 40 in the partition .l 4 also includes.- a central passage 50.which.maybe used-;to're:-- ceive'conduit such as used" for electricity," gas; or water. An electrical conduiti5i isshownimounteed in the vertically disposed passageformedlof the passages 50' in the partitions i4 andtheipassages 52 formed at the. juncture 'of two .blocksby' the'mortar spacing guides'or strips'lzaxand' I 3a. With this block:construction, electrical,- gas,. or. water' pipes or conduits may be positionedzintheivertical. slots formed in' the walls;prior: to: plastering; Plastering is'then .donetdirectly "over the: back plates andthe positioned conduits;

Heating, cooling; or-anyair conditioning'passsagesorconduitsare-formed right in the building blocks. As shown in blocks of'Figs: 4'anci16', vertical passages 53 and 5.4 are formedibetween the end wall I2 and the'partition l4 andthepartition' l4 and the other'endqwall l3: respectively. The partition I4 is provided. with .a laterally extending passage-or openingisiso that air;.whe'ther::it be hot or col'd', may pass through the:entire' ;building. 'wall. The;- use; of the: hole; 5 5: in: the; partition" permits; the. directing; of 'air horizontally. through" the-wall: asswell as vertically although the hori'.-- zontal path is somewhat tortuous; Thus:condi-- tioneda'ir whether 'itzbe hotiorrcoldcamandidoes travel both. horizontaily and?- vertically through a wall composed'of building'- blocks: of: this; inven-' tion. When the passages? 55: arelleft openiorun covered: a; whole; wall may" be: used: as a: heating paneias. hotl'airt delivered within any block will. have communication with every other block'an'd: the-heat; therefore permeates; the; entire: wall; If itisi desired to form a particular passage prese'-- lected. openings 55 may betcl'osed'rby mortar when the blocks arebeing laid When aspecia'l passage isrouted'through' the wall of 'blocksithe's back' of the end block or the backs of any ofithe-sblocks may be left freeof inner wall plaster so that hot; cold; or an'yconditioned air may be dis-- charged into or-removed from the interior'ofthe' room. Such non-plaster covered'block'backs'then areandiactfas registers. Even after certain of theopeningsi 55 are closed for the forming of particular passages the remainder of th'e wall'i's' notr obstructed for the? transmission of airwhich may be directed. upwardly: fromitheefoundation ofrthebuildihgi I I This opening 55 is very importantrto'rthe sue cessiuifunctioning oifithe buildingiblock. 5 When of built-in wall conduits becomes increasingly important.

As shown in Fig. 7, a modified form of building block incorporates all the principles of the block just described, but employs a different back or inner wall. The back 55 is a material made of a mixture of concrete and such other constituents as slag, cinders, and/or sawdust which is in a plastic or fluid state when initially formed and is thus poured simultaneously with the remaining concrete portions of the block. When the block sets and hardens it is one integral piece. The mixture of other materials in the concrete makes the back somewhat porous to receive and grip plaster applied thereover and to easily receive and hold nails. Thus any type of inner wall may be attached to the inside of the blocks as shown in Fig. 7. The soft porous mixture of the back 56 of block 2! in Fig. 7 is formed with a central vertical conduit groove 57 and mortar guide ribs 58 and 59. As shown and described for the blocks of Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the joining of adjacent guide ribs forms additional conduit grooves.

In order that the brick slabs will be firmly held to the main block, they are knifed or slotted at frequent intervals on their backs as shown at 80 so that as concrete or other substance is forced into the grooves the brick slabs are locked to the block upon the setting of the concrete or other substance used.

Figs. 8 and 9 show another modified form of building block. An expanded metal core 51 provides reinforcement for the concrete front 62 and sides 63 and 64. The back 65 of the expanded metal core BI is uncovered to present an inner wall plastering surface in the same manner as the perforated metal backs 46 of Fig. 4. The remainder of the block has all the other appointments possessed by the blocks of Figs. 4 and 7 such as the vertical groove 66 and the mortar spacing guides 67 and 68, which guides form grooves with adjacent blocks to continue the vertical groove from the block immediately below or above.

Insulation packs are applied to the block of Fig. 7 in the same manner as that shown for the blocks of Figs. 2, 3, and 4. However, in the block of Figs. 8 and 9 the insulation packs 66 and 61 are shown positioned and held between the front wall of the expanded metal and the inner side of the front wall of the block .t-hus eliminating the necessity of formed grooves.

Numerous details of construction may be varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles disclosed herein, and I therefore do not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a generally rectangular building block having a front, sides, and rear comprising a cementitious front and sides, the rear ends of the 6 sides having an inclined undercut, and a metal plate constituting the rear of said block, said metal plate having means for removable attachment to the rear of said block, said metal plate being perforated to receive inner wall plaster, said means including forwardly extending flanges, said forwardly extending flanges overlying the inclined undercuts of the sides of the block, whereby plaster applied to the perforated metal back wall fills the space between the inclined undercut and the metal plate flanges and the setting of the I plaster locks the back wall in fixed position.

2. In a generally rectangular building block v having a front, sides, and a partition parallel to and between the sides, the rear end of said sides having an inclined undercut, and the rear end of the partition having a pair of oppositely dis-' posed inclined undercuts, each of which complements the inclined undercut of one of said sides.

3. In a generally rectangular building block having a front, sides, and a partition parallel to and between the sides, the rear end of said sides having an inclined undercut, the rear end of the partition having a pair of oppositely disposed inclined undercuts, each of which complements the inclined undercut of one of said sides, and said partition having a vertical groove formed between the oppositely disposed inclined undercuts whereby -a conduit may be positioned in said vertical groove.

4. In a generally rectangular building block having a front, sides, and" a partition parallel to and between the sides, the rear end of said sides having an inclined undercut, the rear end of the partition having a pair of oppositely disposed inclined undercuts, each of which complements the inclined undercut of one of said sides, said partition having a vertical groove formed between the oppositely disposed inclined undercuts where- 1 by a conduit may be positioned in said vertical groove, and the outsi-des of said sides having vertically extending guide ribs whereby when several blocks are placed together adjacent guide ribs form another vertical groove and the vertical groove of the partition is continued upwardly uninterrupted.

EDWIN L. PRESTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 390,175 Lee Sept. 25, 1888 753,491 Hoffman Mar. 1, 1904 776,409 Mather et a1 Nov. 29, 1904 836,017 Douglas Nov. 13, 1906 1,063,658 Clehaus June 3, 1913 1,411,005 Dula Mar. 28, 1922 1,682,360 Straub Aug. 28, 1928 2,060,701 Tropiano Nov. 10, 1936 2,150,809 Rugg et al. Mar. 14, 1939 2,199,946 Barnhart May 7, 1940 2,205,829 Finck June 25,1940 

